The Book Design Collective Commnity
Hello, and welcome to The Book Design Collective! This is a community that I casually started with Kristy Hill back in 2023 to connect with other book designers. I haven’t mentioned it much publicly because it’s been a happily growing group of folks via word of mouth. I have since created a Substack for the group which you can join here! Read more on what this community is all about, below.
This community has been going strong as a casual group of book designers who meet on Zoom bi-monthly and chat on Slack. This year, we’re levelling up our game with Substack! The intention behind moving our home base here is simply because we don’t have a home base! We’re scrappy and have been utilizing an array of tools to bring our community together for over 2 years, but it is time to create a place where we can see all of our connections, resources and recordings in one easy to access space.
Hi, it’s me, Jaz of fleck creative studio and admin behind The Book Design Collective.
The beginnings
Many of our members are connections I’ve made through social media or are contracts I’ve made from work projects over the years, such as Kristy Hill (founding member of the Collective and owner of the fantastic design studio Umbrella Squared). Many of these connections have now become trusted collaborators, colleagues and friends whom I feel a strong connection to and kinship with, in our shared love of the craft of book design. Book design is a unique field, and many of us work alone at home, toiling in front of our computers moving pixels around which is why we wanted to create a space where we could feel seen and understood. Sometimes you just need to be able to complain to someone that a client just told you to, “make it pop more,” to commiserate and get motivational advice from people who’ve been there!
If you haven’t heard of us yet, you may be thinking who are you? Well, I’m Jaz! The founder of fleck creative studio, my book design business of 8 years! I absolutely adore book design and feel very lucky that I get to be part of making authors’ dreams come true. I’ve designed over 250 books with indie publishers and self-published authors, some of which you can check out on my site here. On top of my love of designing books, I have a deep passion for teaching and sharing what I know. One of the reasons I did me Masters in Publishing was in case I wanted to become a prof! From the beginning of my practice, I have enjoyed sharing tips on my Instagram for authors on their publishing journey and for designers learning about the craft. Being in community with fellow designers and sharing about the work I love so much, holds a special place in my heart.
A screen capture of some of the teaching / knowledge sharing videos I have posted to Instagram.
Who is The Book Design Collective For?
We are a group of book designers of all levels. Some have worked in-house at indie or large publishers, some are strictly freelance, some are veterans in their field, and others are just starting out. Some folks are not even book designers at all or come from other areas of the publishing world, but love the design of books and are interested in how they’re made. We also have non-designers in the group, who want to soak up as much as they can about book design and publishing before making the plunge into the industry. If you identify with any of these groups, the collective is for you! We have received wonderful feedback over these past two years from community members who have loved meeting and connecting with book designers in this format in an industry where our work is often quite siloed.
“I know for sure this group has improved my quality of life, both financially and my mental health. I feel connected and supported by all these talented designers that are kind and generous, offering their tips, advice, understanding, and cheerleading. It’s been such a blessing to be a part of.”
—Jason Arias, book designer
As a free subscriber, you will access:
A monthly roundup of resources and tips posted on the 1st of every month.
The Bi-monthly Book Design Collective Zoom meet-up. Links will be posted in the Collective’s Substack free subscriber chat and on Slack.
My Notes which provide a glimpse into the behind the scenes world of a book designer.
The Book Design Collective Chat on Substack and Slack workspace to connect with other members, pose questions, share designs and learn.
Paid subscribers will get access to these additional features:
Monthly co-working sessions/office hours: Work alongside me on Zoom and ask any design or publishing questions you may have. Links will be posted in the Collective’s Substack paid subscriber chat.
Design prompt sessions: Virtual meet-ups where we will follow a brief to create a design to push our skills and learn new ones in an hour or less.
A twice yearly book club: A Zoom meet-up where we facilitate conversations around books that speak to various aspects of the craft of book design. Links will be posted in the Collective’s Substack paid subscriber Chat.
If you miss any meet-ups, recordings will be uploaded and archived for paid subscribers.
Protection from price increases. once you sign up at the current price, your payment will stay the same.
I have big goals for the future too. With additional revenue from this subscription base, I would love to bring in guest speakers and renowned designers to talk to our community of subscribers. The sky is the limit but I need your help to make it happen!
Note: Zooms will be recorded and posted for members to rewatch. If you do not wish to have your face or name made public, please keep your camera off and change your name in your Zoom settings.
An Instagram post for our first book club featuring Jhumpa Lahiri’s The Clothing of Books.
What do we talk about inside The Book Design Collective?
The topics we cover are wide ranging. Before every meeting, I take time to look through our ongoing chats and discussions so I can get a sense of what topics are of interest to our members and what challenges they are facing.I am also always open to suggestions from our members. Topics have included:
How to find new clients
How to price your book design services
How to showcase your work & portfolio reviews
Running a successful book design business
The self publishing process
Prepping files for Ingram Spark and Kindle Direct Publishing
Tips & tricks: technical how-to’s on specific software related to book design
The book design process
Where to find inspiration
Print production management
The impact of AI on our industry
Working with clients
Sustainability in book design
If you’re new to the world of book design and are looking for information on how to get started, or you have an established book design practice but are looking for community, subscribe to The Book Design Collective below today!